Offered as a Lucky Bride to the Mad Princess to Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 3

3: “I Have Long Admired Prince Ning, and No One Else Will Do…”

“Rise.” Xiao Qijun looked at Haitang, who was being pressed down on the long bench, and frowned as he asked, “What is going on here?”

Yu Nanbo had already learned the details of the situation from Yu Nanrou. He stepped forward and bowed to Prince Chen, forcing a bitter smile:

“Today, I invited Your Highness to the estate to admire the plum blossoms, but I didn’t expect you to witness such a scene. My third sister lost a hairpin a few days ago and wanted that maid to retrieve it from the water for her. But the weather is so cold—my fourth sister has always been kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see such a thing, so an argument broke out.”

After Li Shi was elevated to the position of the main wife, Yu Nanbo became the sole legitimate son of the Duke’s household, the undisputed next Duke. Coupled with his status as Prince Chen’s study companion, he was a frequent companion to the young nobles of the capital, known for his generosity and charm.

Not only that, but he also loved to distribute porridge to refugees outside the city, earning widespread praise among the common people. This even reached the Emperor’s ears. If not for his young age, he would likely have already been granted an official position.

As a result, he was also highly favored in Prince Chen’s eyes.

“Jumping into such cold water could kill someone. Brother Prince Chen, you must save that little maid.”

The young princess beside him couldn’t bear it. After she spoke, several others in their group also voiced their support for Haitang: “This isn’t about retrieving a hairpin—it’s clearly murder! Under the Emperor’s feet, with the Great Qi’s laws so clear, how can such a cruel act happen within the Duke’s household?”

“Besides, it’s just a hairpin. Is it really necessary to force someone to jump into the lake to retrieve it in this weather?”

The noble relatives chimed in one after another. Xiao Qijun had come today with the intention of winning over Yu Nanqing and had not planned to make things difficult. But now, he was caught in a dilemma and frowned in displeasure.

This frown was different from the one he had worn when first witnessing the commotion. Yu Nanbo was the first to detect Xiao Qijun’s displeasure, and his heart immediately sank. Compared to cooperating with his sister to slander Yu Nanqing, he was far more afraid of angering Xiao Qijun.

Yu Nanbo walked over to Yu Nanqing and spoke first: “What everyone says is true. Forcing someone into the lake in such cold weather is truly disregarding human life. Third Sister is only concerned about a hairpin after all. How about you name a price, and I’ll compensate her for it.”

The young princesses had heard of Yu Erlang’s (Yu Nanbo) reputation for kindness, and now that they had witnessed him stepping in to help a maid with their own eyes, their admiration for him grew even brighter.

“Brother Yu is truly righteous, no wonder he earned His Majesty’s favor even before reaching the age of twenty.”

Others compared Yu Nanbo to Yu Nanqing: “They’re both from the Duke’s household. Brother Yu is so kind-hearted—how could he have such a vicious sister?”

“Don’t they say Heaven has eyes? Didn’t you hear? A few days ago, His Majesty issued an imperial decree betrothing this third daughter of the Yu family to the deposed crown prince.”

“The deposed crown prince?” The person next to him shuddered at the mention of the deposed crown prince and looked at Yu Nanqing with a hint of schadenfreude. “Then she really deserves it!”

Chenxiang couldn’t help but want to defend Yu Nanqing, but Yu Nanqing grabbed her arm. Though weakened from her recent illness and unable to exert much strength, Chenxiang still stopped at her touch, looking at her with grievance in her eyes.

Chenxiang wasn’t just angry about the matter of the deposed crown prince—she was also furious about the money Yu Nanbo had just offered to pay for Haitang.

Let alone Yu Nanbo, wasn’t the entire Duke’s household’s expenses funded by her mistress’s dowry and the silver notes the Ji family had been sending to Yu Nanqing over the years?

While most of the jewelry and trinkets made their way to Yu Nanqing, the silver notes were all withheld by the Duke under the pretext that Yu Nanqing was too young.

Back then, the old Duke had pressured Yu Bingru into marrying Lady Ji based on the Duke’s household’s actual circumstances. Yu Bingru relied on his hereditary title to hold a nominal position in the Ministry of Rites. How could he have climbed to his current position as Vice Minister of Rites without using money to grease the wheels of social interaction?

Take Yu Nanbo’s reputation for distributing porridge, for example. With the Duke’s meager salary, even one distribution a month would strain the household’s finances, let alone several times a month.

But now, Yu Nanbo could so shamelessly use Yu Nanqing’s money to compensate for the hairpin. Chenxiang couldn’t swallow her anger. But at this moment, Yu Nanqing shook her head at her and tightened her grip on her arm slightly. Afraid that Yu Nanqing would exert herself, Chenxiang had no choice but to hold back and lower her head quietly.

How could Yu Nanqing not understand Chenxiang’s thoughts?

But the people over there were either princesses or young nobles—how could a mere maid like Chenxiang argue with them?

The one who interrupted was Xiao Qijun. He turned and scolded his younger siblings a few times before looking at Yu Nanqing with a complicated expression: “Third Miss Yu, why not give me some face and let this matter rest as Second Brother suggested?”

Since a prince had spoken, Yu Nanqing naturally had to show some respect. Moreover, she was in a rather good mood at the moment and was happy to play along with the siblings’ act. She gave Xiao Qijun a slight bow, then turned her head and called, “Chenxiang.”

Chenxiang lowered her head and responded, “Miss.”

“Do you remember how much the hairpin was worth?”

No matter how unwilling she was, Chenxiang could only bow respectfully to Yu Nanbo and say loudly: “Replying to Second Young Master, my lady’s jade hairpin was specially brought back from the Western Regions by her granduncle. It is made of mutton-fat jade, rare and translucent, and was carved over several months by the most skilled craftsman in Yangzhou. It was even blessed by a high monk. Not counting the other expenses, the jade alone and the carving cost eight hundred taels of gold. All of this was documented when it entered the household.”

The young nobles, who had just been indignant and thought Yu Nanqing was being petty and mercantile, all gasped: “Eight hundred taels of gold?”

They knew Yu Nanqing’s mother came from the wealthy Ji family of Yuezhou in the south, but they hadn’t realized just how wealthy she was.

Jewelry worth eight hundred taels of gold was something even they, as members of the imperial family, rarely saw—usually only their elders could afford such things. But Yu Nanqing not only had such a hairpin, she wore it casually, not even for a special occasion. This made them green with envy.

How many feasts at the finest restaurants could eight hundred taels of gold buy? How many performances by the top courtesans in the pleasure quarters? Not to mention, it could buy hundreds of maids like Haitang.

If such a precious hairpin was lost in the water because of a maid, what was wrong with making her retrieve it? If it were them, they’d probably make the maid drink the entire lake dry just to vent their anger.

The onlookers could no longer bring themselves to tell Yu Nanqing to spare the maid. But now, the one in the most awkward position was Yu Nanbo, who had loudly volunteered to pay for Haitang.

The Duke doted on him and didn’t restrict his spending, but that didn’t mean he could casually produce eight hundred taels of gold.

Yu Nanbo frowned and glanced at Yu Nanrou, who had started this mess, then calmly looked away and said, “Third Sister will soon be married to Prince Ning. Mother has repeatedly instructed us to send you off in grand style, so I’m a bit short on funds at the moment. Since you want that lost hairpin, why not wait until the weather warms up? I’ll personally supervise the retrieval. How does that sound?”

This immediately drew admiration from those around him, their eyes filled with appreciation and admiration: “Yu Erlang is truly generous, willing to spend his own savings to see his sister married off in style.”

Yu Nanbo cupped his hands and modestly declined a few words before turning to Yu Nanqing: “What do you think, Sister?”

Yu Nanqing’s lips were still curved upward, but the warmth in her eyes had completely faded. She had underestimated just how shameless Yu Nanbo could be.

“So, Second Brother doesn’t want to pay and won’t let me punish the maid either?”

Yu Nanbo frowned: “Third Sister, what do you mean by that? Once the weather warms up, I said I would personally supervise Haitang’s retrieval of the hairpin. I will definitely make sure she retrieves it.”

Yu Nanrou also fanned the flames: “Third Sister, even if you don’t trust us, with Prince Chen here as a witness, surely you can trust him!”

Xiao Qijun, as the current Emperor’s most favored prince, was the most likely candidate for the next crown prince. By invoking Prince Chen to pressure Yu Nanqing, if Yu Nanqing refused, she could immediately be accused of disrespecting imperial authority.

With Yu Nanrou’s words, everyone assumed Yu Nanqing would agree to Yu Nanbo’s proposal. But then, they heard Yu Nanqing let out a soft laugh—a light, slow chuckle that inexplicably made their hearts flutter.

Among the Duke’s household’s younger generation, Yu Nanbo was the most famous, and his full sister Yu Nanrou was also highly praised. Only Yu Nanqing, whenever mentioned, was described as gloomy, arrogant, and domineering.

They had all avoided Yu Nanqing on previous visits to the Duke’s household and had never looked at her properly. But now, drawn by her laughter, they took a closer look at her.

Her skin was like refined cream, her hair like satin. Her delicate face was framed by the fur of her fox-fur cloak, her pale eyes accentuated by the wind-reddened corners, giving her an indescribable allure.

They had always thought Yu Nanbo was handsome and Yu Nanrou beautiful—after all, the Duke’s favoritism toward Li Shi was well-known throughout the capital, so her children were naturally the most outstanding in the household.

But they hadn’t realized the most beautiful person in the Duke’s household was the one they had previously scorned. Those pale, clear eyes seemed almost bewitching, making people unconsciously soften their voices.

“Fourth Miss Yu, I don’t like what you’re saying. Your sister hasn’t even said anything yet, and you’re slapping such a big label of doubting Prince Chen on her. Be careful you don’t implicate the entire Duke’s household,” a young noble around Yu Nanbo’s age said impatiently.

Yu Nanrou, still young, paled at the thought of implicating the household and quickly pulled Yu Nanbo’s sleeve to explain: “Brother, that’s not what I meant! I just thought that with Prince Chen here, no one would dare go back on their word.”

Yu Nanbo pursed his lips in thought. Today’s incident had originally been Yu Nanrou’s idea to bring Prince Chen and the others over to ruin Yu Nanqing’s reputation. But now, Yu Nanqing was standing there unharmed, having somehow won the group’s sympathy, while he and Yu Nanrou were at a disadvantage.

Seeing that this wasn’t the right moment, he wanted to quickly drop the matter when Yu Nanqing spoke first.

“Second Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but I’m shortsighted and only care about the present. Who knows what will happen after the weather warms up, once I’ve entered Prince Ning’s household?”

“Since you’re unwilling to pay the gold for this maid, then let her retrieve the hairpin from the water.”

Yu Nanbo’s face stiffened. After going in circles, they were back to square one. He nearly cursed out loud. It wasn’t that he cared about Haitang’s life—he was worried that continuing this would expose the truth behind Yu Nanqing’s fall into the water.

Yu Nanqing looked at the icy lake, a faint, unreadable smile in her pale eyes: “Chenxiang, untie Haitang.”

Chenxiang said, “Yes,” walked over, first loosened the ropes around Haitang’s hands and feet, then removed the cloth gagging her, and pressed her to kneel before Yu Nanqing.

Haitang hadn’t expected Yu Nanqing to actually make her retrieve the hairpin from the water. She looked pleadingly at Yu Nanrou, but Yu Nanrou avoided her gaze. With so many people present, even Yu Nanbo couldn’t save her—what could Yu Nanrou do?

Haitang immediately kowtowed to Yu Nanqing: “Third Miss, please spare me, please, I beg you.”

The plum blossoms by the lake were in full bloom, the cold wind carrying delicate petals to land on Yu Nanqing’s long lashes before drifting into her palm.

Yu Nanqing’s pale red lips curved slightly, her smile not reaching her eyes. She looked down at Haitang kneeling before her and uttered an icy, merciless remark: “Your mistress says you’re careless. Consider this a lesson.”

Haitang froze mid-kowtow and looked at Yu Nanrou again.

Yu Nanrou turned her back on her. Haitang gritted her teeth, as if suddenly enlightened, and crawled forward on her knees: “Third Miss, that day, I wasn’t being careless—it was Fourth Miss who told me to push you into the water to prevent you from resisting the imperial decree!”

The moment these words left her mouth, the crowd erupted.

Yu Nanrou’s face drained of color. She pointed at Haitang and cursed: “You vile slave, how dare you slander me!”

Haitang kowtowed to Yu Nanqing again. If she were thrown into the water, she would surely die. But if Yu Nanqing were willing to protect her, she might have a chance to live.

To prove her loyalty, she sold out Yu Nanrou completely: “Third Miss, Fourth Miss has always been at odds with you. Even the imperial decree betrothing you to Prince Ning was her suggestion to the Duke. That day, when the decree was issued, Fourth Miss was worried you would resist and cause trouble, so she secretly signaled me to act. After you fell into the water, she was the one who accepted the decree on your behalf. Everyone can testify to this!”

Yu Nanqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. She knew her betrothal decree had been requested by her father to curry favor with the Emperor, but she hadn’t realized Yu Nanrou had a hand in it.

In her past life, Yu Nanrou taking her place in the deposed crown prince’s household was truly no injustice.

Yu Nanqing took half a step forward and leaned down slightly. Her fox-fur cloak billowed, carrying a faint herbal scent: “Do you know the punishment for slandering your master?”

“Third Miss, I beg you to uphold justice for me. Every word I’ve said is true!”

Haitang’s words shocked the group behind Yu Nanbo. They summoned a few servants from the Duke’s household to question them. They had thought this was just about Yu Nanqing accidentally losing a hairpin, but it turned out she had fallen into the water earlier!

And the culprit had pretended to be the victim, crying and demanding justice from them.

These young nobles might be spoiled and idle, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t see through such a cheap trick—or that they were willing to be used as pawns in someone else’s game!

“Yu Nanrou, you’re truly vicious! If Third Sister Yu hadn’t insisted and forced the maid to tell the truth, we would have all been fooled by you!”

“I always thought she was being mistreated in the Duke’s household, but now it seems her mother has been elevated to the Duchess’s position. Who would dare mistreat her?”

Yu Nanrou, outnumbered, was quickly drowned out by the crowd.

Another gust of wind blew past, the cold air seeping into her lungs. Yu Nanqing pressed a handkerchief to her lips and coughed softly twice, her porcelain-pale face showing signs of exhaustion from her recent illness.

A young princess couldn’t bear it and suggested: “Third Sister Yu, if you’re still unwell, you should return to your room. We’ll handle things here and ensure justice is served.”

“Your Highness, this matter is full of inconsistencies. You can’t convict my sister based solely on a maid’s testimony. If she truly did it, why would she bring Haitang before Third Sister in the first place? This requires further investigation,” Yu Nanbo said, barely keeping his composure as he addressed Xiao Qijun.

This was, after all, an internal matter of the Duke’s household. No matter how noble their status, it wasn’t their place to interfere. Xiao Qijun looked at Yu Nanqing, seeking her opinion as the victim.

Given Yu Nanrou’s earlier words, everyone assumed Yu Nanqing would agree to Yu Nanbo’s suggestion. But then, they heard Yu Nanqing laugh softly—a light, low chuckle that inexplicably made their hearts flutter.

The Yu Duke’s household’s younger generation was most famous for Yu Nanbo, and his full sister Yu Nanrou was also highly praised. Only Yu Nanqing was consistently described as gloomy, arrogant, and domineering.

They had all avoided Yu Nanqing on previous visits to the Duke’s household, never looking at her properly. Now, drawn by her laughter, they took a closer look.

Her skin was like refined cream, her hair like satin. Her delicate face was framed by the fur of her fox-fur cloak, her pale eyes accentuated by the wind-reddened corners, giving her an indescribable allure.

They had always thought Yu Nanbo was handsome and Yu Nanrou beautiful—after all, the Duke’s favoritism toward Li Shi was well-known throughout the capital, so her children were naturally the most outstanding in the household.

But they hadn’t realized the most beautiful person in the Duke’s household was the one they had previously scorned. Those pale, clear eyes seemed almost bewitching, making people unconsciously soften their voices.

“Fourth Miss Yu, I don’t like what you’re saying. Your sister hasn’t even said anything yet, and you’re slapping such a big label of doubting Prince Chen on her. Be careful you don’t implicate the entire Duke’s household,” a young noble around Yu Nanbo’s age said impatiently.

Yu Nanrou, still young, paled at the thought of implicating the household and quickly pulled Yu Nanbo’s sleeve to explain: “Brother, that’s not what I meant! I just thought that with Prince Chen here, no one would dare go back on their word.”

Yu Nanbo pursed his lips in thought. Today’s incident had originally been Yu Nanrou’s idea to bring Prince Chen and the others over to ruin Yu Nanqing’s reputation. But now, Yu Nanqing was standing there unharmed, having somehow won the group’s sympathy, while he and Yu Nanrou were at a disadvantage.

Seeing that this wasn’t the right moment, he wanted to quickly drop the matter when Yu Nanqing spoke first.

“Second Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but I’m shortsighted and only care about the present. Who knows what will happen after the weather warms up, once I’ve entered Prince Ning’s household?”

“Since you’re unwilling to pay the gold for this maid, then let her retrieve the hairpin from the water.”

Yu Nanbo’s face stiffened. After going in circles, they were back to square one. He nearly cursed out loud. It wasn’t that he cared about Haitang’s life—he was worried that continuing this will do.